Playing by the Rules cover art

Playing by the Rules

Miami Piranhas, Book 3

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Playing by the Rules

By: Beth Bolden
Narrated by: Darcy Stark
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About this listen

Ex-quarterback Davis Abernathy knows he’s on his last chance.

If he strikes out as Paxton Kelly’s coach, nobody else is going to call him. Not to get back on the field, and not to stand on the sidelines.

He’s got a lot to teach Pax, and as a second-year quarterback, Pax has a lot to learn. But Davis doesn’t anticipate the irresistible way they’ll be drawn together from their first meeting. He never could have predicted such a fierce and uncontrollable yearning—or that Pax would feel the same.

It should be easy to remember rules aren’t meant to be broken, and certain lines aren’t meant to be crossed, but the only thing that’s easy is falling totally, completely in love with Pax.

As Davis falls harder, Pax succeeding becomes just as important—and maybe more so—than resurrecting his own career. If he messes this up, his last chance isn’t all he’ll be sacrificing.

What he should be is focused on being the perfect mentor. But what he wants is Pax in his bed, Pax in his life, and more impossibly, to win Pax’s heart forever.

©2022 Beth Bolden (P)2023 Beth Bolden Literature & Fiction Romance Heartfelt Sports

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All stars
Most relevant

Listener received this title free

Two built quarterbacks pinning for days…Hell yes. Instant attraction and being off limits. Delicious.

Paxton Kelly is the new superstar quarterback, but he’s struggling at this level. Their head coach has an idea on how to fix it. Bring in disgraced ex-quarterback Davis Abernathy to coach him.

Davis’s previous team treated him horribly, making him question himself and the one thing he loves the most. He had no prospects in Football until coach Asa gave him a lifeline. It’s not playing but at least he feels useful.

The biggest complication is their feelings for one another. They know they can’t, coach and player, but damn, their feelings are overpowering.

They are both struggling to find their place in their careers and in each other's hearts, but thankfully they are surrounded by an amazing team of men who support and care about them.

Their love for each other is pure and beautiful. Both grand (see Pax’s gesture when playing Davis’ old team) and small (think Davis cooking his grandmother’s recipes).

Beth’s wonderful writing is brought to life by the super-talented Darcy Stark. You’ll get it all with this pairing.

So much pinning

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Listener received this title free

The heart wants what the heart wants – you can't always pick who you fall in love with. This can certainly be applied to quarterback coach Davis Abernathy and quarterback Paxton Kelly. There's an instant connection between the two when they first meet but they truly do try to fight it.

I loved how Paxton's teammates rallied around these two and encouraged them to explore their relationship even though they all knew that it was against the rules for a coach and player to become involved. The feelings these two have for each other resonated through the wonderful audio performance given by Darcy Stark.

This story truly stirred my emotions and I loved listening to it. There was a bonus at the end: the prologue for the next book in the series which is about coach Asa and I can't wait to listen to it.

A complimentary copy of this audiobook was provided to me at my request; my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author and/or narrator.

Forbidden love.

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Listener received this title free

I've yet to find a Beth Bolden football romance that I don't love, and she's delivered a spectacular, swoony story for Davis and Pax. There were so many elements that made this story great--the slow-burn romance, the themes of acceptance and redemption, and the exciting football growth of the Piranhas--but what really made this story a stand-out were the characters. I connected with Davis and Pax early on, and it was such a delight to watch their relationship unfold from the very beginning. They put up a valiant fight to resist the pull they had towards each other, but it became obvious over time that their attraction had grown into deep, unconditional love. I was blown away by how deep and emotionally moving their journey was, and their story certainly put me through the wringer at times as the two of them tried to figure out how to navigate their professional relationship when they craved something personal and intimate as well. I definitely had moments where I didn't see a romantic path forward for the two of them, and I felt their growing tension from having to hold back in every interaction they shared. The dating intervention and swoony love confession midway through the story were a big emotional turning point, and from then on I was much less worried about will-they-won't-they and simply enjoying the progression of Pax and Davis's romance. In addition to their love journey, both Pax and Davis had moving character arcs that intertwined with the other events of the story. Davis alone went through such a transformation, and I was very satisfied with how he healed and moved on from the awful situation with the Condors. Pax also matured a lot throughout the course of the story, and it was very uplifting to see him become a strong leader for the team. All in all, I can't think of a single thing I would change about this story, except for getting more and more and more of their happy lives together.

**I voluntarily listened to a free copy of this book. This review expresses my honest thoughts and opinions.

Spectacular and swoony

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Listener received this title free

3,5 stars
I was very surprised and glad about the main characters keeping their feelings in check for the benefit of the other’s career. They care for each other so they don’t act on their feelings. Beautiful. Awesome. But then, the second part is full of bed action in a row. Fortunately it changed a bit later and then the story continued.
I love Asa, I’m really looking forward to his story.
The audiobook version has a very good narrator, I like him a lot, I’m not sure about Señora Floria’s accent though. By the way, it should have been written “señora” not “senora”, if your keyboard doesn’t have “ñ” copy and paste it from the internet.

«You keep lookin’ at me like that, I’m gonna have to do something about it».

Yearning

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Listener received this title free

Oh, dear, the UST and the longing in the first half of this book almost killed me! It was almost physically painful to see Pax and Devis long for each other and wanting what they were convincing they could never have. I loved everything about this book, the tension, the sweetness, the fierceness. Davis and Pax are both wonderful characters and just about perfect for each other.
Despite the initial tension and struggling, I have to admit that I expected (and feared) a much heavier and angstier book; instead the story also has a few funny and light-hearted moments (cue Senora Floria and “the intervention”).
Darcy Stark delivers a brilliant performance with the different characters immediately recognizable and well identified.

The longing!

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